Report abuse
Child Sexual Abuse Material Online (CSAM)
Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is the record of a child being sexually abused or exploited. Every picture or video is evidence of a crime against a real child. This page explains what CSAM is, what to do if you come across it, and how to report it safely.
This hidden block holds the styles of this page, the Quick exit button and the phone help bar (Call, Chat, Report, Exit). Do not delete it. The words of the page are in the sections below.
If you have come across it
Four things to do right now
Seeing this material can be upsetting. You did nothing wrong by finding it. What you do next helps the child.
If a child is in immediate danger, call the national police hotline on 1288 or contact your local police for help.
Understand
What is CSAM?
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) includes images, videos, writings and recordings that show or exploit children in sexual ways. A child is anyone under 18.
Child protection organisations use the term CSAM, and not “child pornography”, because it describes the content as what it is: abuse, not pornography. “Pornography” suggests that a child agreed. A child can never agree to be abused.
What counts
- Photos or videos that show a child naked, in sexual poses, or being sexually abused
- Recordings of live-streamed abuse
- Sexual pictures that a child made of themselves, when they are shared or used to pressure the child
- Fake or edited sexual images of a real child, including images made with AI
- Sexual stories or messages about children, and drawings or animations that show children in sexual ways
It is a crime
Creating, possessing or sharing CSAM is a criminal offence and must be reported to law enforcement. Requests to remove content should go to the APLE hotline. Reporting does not get you in trouble: the hotline exists so that people can report safely.
Why it matters
The harm continues
Making CSAM is sexual abuse of a child. But the harm does not stop when the abuse ends. Each time the material is shared, saved or viewed, the child is hurt again. Survivors often live with fear that someone will recognise them, and with shame that is not theirs.
Behind every file is a real child who needed protection. Reporting is how you help that child, and how the material is removed so it spreads less.
Who is affected
Who is at risk, and who makes it
Any child can be a victim: boys and girls, babies and teenagers, in any country. Children are most at risk when they are alone online, when an adult they trust misuses that trust, when they are in poverty or in need, or when someone pressures them for pictures.
The people who make and share CSAM include family members and people close to the child, strangers who groom children online, and organised groups that profit from abuse. Many offenders are not strangers. That is why telling a child “never talk to strangers” is not enough: children also need to know that no adult may ask them to keep a sexual secret.
Children can also be harmed by other children. A young person who shares a picture of a classmate may not understand the harm, but the harm to the classmate is real. Teaching respect and consent is part of prevention.
How it spreads
How CSAM spreads
Knowing the routes helps you spot and report it, and avoid passing it on by accident.
Clear the confusion
Myths and facts
Myth
- “It is only a picture, nobody is hurt.”
- “If the child agreed, it is not abuse.”
- “Looking is not a crime if I did not make it.”
- “I should keep a copy as proof.”
- “Reporting will get me in trouble.”
- “It cannot be removed once it is online.”
Fact
- Every picture records a real child being abused, and sharing it hurts the child again.
- A child cannot consent to sexual abuse or to being filmed.
- Possessing and sharing CSAM is a crime, in addition to making it.
- Do not keep copies. Report the link, and the hotline takes it from there.
- Hotlines are there so people can report safely, and you can stay anonymous.
- Hotlines work with platforms and the police to remove material, and it is worth reporting.
What to do
If you find it
Whether you saw it by accident or someone sent it to you, report the link and look after yourself.
Do
- Close it, and take a breath.
- Copy the link, or note the app, username and date.
- Report to APLE. You can stay anonymous.
- Report it on the platform where you saw it, using its report button.
- Talk to someone you trust about how you feel.
- If you know the child, make sure they are safe and get help.
Do not
- Download, screenshot, save or forward it.
- Show it to a friend, a teacher or a parent “to prove it”. Give them the link.
- Search for more, or keep opening it.
- Comment on it, or confront the person who posted it.
- Delete your own chat history before you have noted the details.
- Blame yourself or the child.
If it is a picture of you. It is not your fault, even if you took it or sent it yourself. You can get it removed and get support. See the sextortion page about Take It Down and about removal with APLE.
Build your skills
How to report CSAM safely
What to give the hotline
- The link (web address) where you saw it. This matters most. You can enter more than one, separated by commas.
- If it was in an app or a chat: the app, the username or group name, and the date.
- What you saw in a few words, without describing the child in detail.
- Anything you know about who posted it. Write “I do not know” if you are not sure.
Never attach the file. Never send the picture, even to the hotline. Just the link.
What happens next
A trained APLE analyst reviews the report. Where it is CSAM, APLE works with the platform or host to have it removed, and with the police and partner hotlines in other countries when the content is hosted abroad. APLE is a member of INHOPE, a network of hotlines in many countries. You can stay anonymous. If you leave contact details, they are kept confidential.
The steps for reporting inside an app, and what the report form asks, are on the sextortion page.
What everyone can do
How you can help
- Report what you find. Every report to a hotline can lead to a child being found and protected, and to material being taken down.
- Do not share, even to warn others. If you want to warn friends, say that a link exists and tell them to report it. Do not forward the file or the link.
- Talk about it. Silence protects offenders. Talk with children and young people about consent, privacy and why nude pictures of anyone under 18 must never be forwarded.
- Support survivors. Never blame a child, and never joke about it. Believe and support them.
- Use platform tools. Report content on apps and sites, and ask your school, workplace or community group to have a clear reporting rule.
For parents, teachers and professionals
If a child is involved
Parents, caregivers and teachers
- Stay calm. Tell the child it is not their fault, and thank them for telling you.
- Do not punish, and do not look through or copy the pictures.
- Note the link, app and username, then report to APLE and the police. Block the account.
- Get support for the child from a counsellor or a trusted professional.
For a child who shared a picture, see the sextortion page. For a child contacted by an adult, see the grooming page.
Schools and organisations
- Make a clear rule: nude pictures of children are never copied or forwarded, and staff report concerns the same day.
- If a picture of a student is going around, do not collect or forward it as evidence. Record where it is and who reported it, and report to APLE and the police.
Professionals
- Do not view more than you must, and do not copy, download, forward or store CSAM. Record links, dates and what was reported.
- Report to the APLE hotline and, where required, to the police. Content removal requests go to the hotline.
- Look after your own wellbeing if you were exposed to this material.
Practise
What would you do?
Read each situation and decide what you would do. Then open it to compare.
Say out loud what you would do, then compare. The aim is to stop, not share or save, note the link and report.
Do not forward it, save it or reply with a joke. Tell your friend to stop. Delete it from your phone if it arrived there, and tell a trusted adult. Report where it came from, with the link or username.
Close it. Do not download or screenshot it. Copy the web address and report it to APLE. Talk to someone you trust about how it made you feel.
Reassure the student, and do not ask to see it. Ask the group to stop sharing. Record where it is, tell your child protection lead, report to APLE and the police, and support the student.
Do not open it again or share it. Report the link to APLE. Block the sender, and tell a trusted adult.
Questions
Questions people ask
Because it was never pornography. It is the record of a child being abused. The word CSAM keeps the focus on the abuse and on the child.
No. Hotlines exist so people can report safely, and you can stay anonymous. Do not save or share the material, because that is where the risk lies.
No. What matters is what you do next: do not share it, and report the link.
No. Send only the link and the details. The analysts will review it themselves, which keeps the picture from spreading further.
Report it too. Material that shows children in sexual ways harms children, and fake images made from real photos harm the real child.
Report with what you know: the app, the username, the group name, the date. Write “I do not know” where you are unsure.
Often yes. Platforms and hosts remove reported material, and hotlines pass reports across countries. It is not always instant, so report early.
It is not your fault. You can get support and ask for removal. See the sextortion page.
Seeking out, viewing or keeping CSAM is a crime in many countries. If you are struggling with sexual thoughts about children, please seek confidential professional help before anyone is harmed.
A child who sends a picture of themselves is a victim of pressure or trust, not an offender. The harm comes from others who save, forward or use it. If you are worried about the law, talk to APLE: we will help you, not blame you.
Reports help the police and partner hotlines find the people who make and share material, and the children in it. You may not hear what happens, but your report matters.
That is normal. Talk to someone you trust, rest, and avoid looking at more. APLE’s team will listen, and you can call 092 311 511 at any time.
Anyone: a child, a friend, a parent, a teacher, a professional. You can stay anonymous.
Report
Report CSAM to APLE
Anyone can report. You can stay anonymous. Give the link, never the picture. Not sure what to write? See how to report on the sextortion page.
Prefer to talk? Call 092 311 511 at any time, or chat with Pisey. If a child is in immediate danger, call the police hotline on 1288.
More from APLE